Accounts payable associate vs finance clerk

The differences between accounts payable associates and finance clerks can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both an accounts payable associate and a finance clerk. Additionally, an accounts payable associate has an average salary of $39,270, which is higher than the $39,225 average annual salary of a finance clerk.

The top three skills for an accounts payable associate include customer service, data entry and purchase orders. The most important skills for a finance clerk are data entry, purchase orders, and HR.

Accounts payable associate vs finance clerk overview

	Accounts Payable Associate	Finance Clerk
Yearly salary	$39,270	$39,225
Hourly rate	$18.88	$18.86
Growth rate	-5%	-5%
Number of jobs	30,845	143,372
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 50%	Bachelor's Degree, 44%
Average age	51	51
Years of experience	6	6

What does an accounts payable associate do?

An accounts payable associate is primarily responsible for processing bills and payments for a company, ensuring accuracy and timeliness. Moreover, they are also responsible for maintaining records of all transactions, liaising with external agencies, coordinating with different departments to gather data, receiving and monitoring invoices, and obtaining approval from managers or supervisors when it comes to payments as needed. An accounts payable associate may also produce financial reports and statements, create presentations, train new members of the workforce, and assist audits, all while adhering to the company's policies and regulations.

What does a finance clerk do?

Finance clerks are financial professionals who are responsible for performing various administrative tasks such as keeping financial records, preparing bills, and delivering excellent customer service. These clerks are required to process bills, checks, receipts, and other documents to ensure that they are all properly signed and distributed. They must verify financial and other data so that they can enter those data into the database and maintain updated records. Finance clerks must also assist with account reconciliations and should report the status of accounts and discrepancies to the management.

Accounts payable associate vs finance clerk salary

Accounts payable associates and finance clerks have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Accounts Payable Associate	Finance Clerk
Average salary	$39,270	$39,225
Salary range	Between $31,000 And $49,000	Between $27,000 And $56,000
Highest paying City	Cambridge, MA	New York, NY
Highest paying state	Alaska	New York
Best paying company	Accenture	United States Courts
Best paying industry	Construction	Government

Differences between accounts payable associate and finance clerk education

There are a few differences between an accounts payable associate and a finance clerk in terms of educational background:

	Accounts Payable Associate	Finance Clerk
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 50%	Bachelor's Degree, 44%
Most common major	Accounting	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Accounts payable associate vs finance clerk demographics

Here are the differences between accounts payable associates' and finance clerks' demographics:

	Accounts Payable Associate	Finance Clerk
Average age	51	51
Gender ratio	Male, 20.6% Female, 79.4%	Male, 26.2% Female, 73.8%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 6.8% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 14.5% Asian, 6.6% White, 67.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%	Black or African American, 6.9% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 14.7% Asian, 6.6% White, 67.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between accounts payable associate and finance clerk duties and responsibilities

Accounts payable associate example responsibilities.

Manage the PeopleSoft PO/Voucher/Receiver matching process for all business units.
Prepare A/R reports for BCBSM, Medicare, Medicaid and multiple HMO's.
Complete various seminars on Medicare and Medicaid.
Process and verify employees' expense reports to ensure compliance with GAAP and company policy.
Perform GL coding for expense invoices along with processing both ACH payments and check payments on a daily basis.
Verify which vendors need W9 to be mail to them at the beginning of the year for tax purposes.

Finance clerk example responsibilities.

Manage resident's private information for insurance verification, billing, and eligibility to apply for Medicaid.
Collaborate with insurance company representatives, case managers and physicians to obtain treatment authorization for potential kidney and kidney/pancreas transplant patients.
Write checks in the QuickBooks software to vendors and to reimburse employees.
Establish customer files in QuickBooks, write and test work instructions for clients, log and close complete files.
Produce PowerPoint presentations in order to brief the command team of the on goings within the company.
Used an automate information system (PeopleSoft) to edit, modify, and verify customers personal and payment information.

Accounts payable associate vs finance clerk skills

Common accounts payable associate skills

Customer Service, 11%
Data Entry, 9%
Purchase Orders, 8%
Vendor Statements, 6%
Vendor Invoices, 6%
Expense Reports, 5%

Common finance clerk skills

Data Entry, 16%
Purchase Orders, 9%
HR, 5%
Bank Statements, 5%
Bank Deposits, 5%
Credit Card, 4%

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Office and Administrative Industry
Accounts Payable Associate
Accounts Payable Associate vs Finance Clerk

Updated January 8, 2025

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